


honey, if you see me drowning (baby, fish me out; i'm falling)

by cabooseachievables



Category: Adventures in Babysitting (2016)
Genre: Chatting & Messaging, F/F, i have no idea what this is, secret date plotting via a bunch of children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-05 15:52:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16370570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cabooseachievables/pseuds/cabooseachievables
Summary: “My name is Jenny Parker. I'm a student, part-time babysitter, and I plan to start college next Fall. I texted you by accident instead of my friend, Allison.”The sound of light snickering surprises Jenny, especially when Lola had just been pissed off at her a few seconds ago. “Part-time babysitter? Interesting career choice.”(from the prompt: "I’ve been texting my friend for about a week now and they don't reply but turns out I was texting a random person and there was some deep personal stuff I sent oh my god why are they calling me now?” AU)





	honey, if you see me drowning (baby, fish me out; i'm falling)

**Author's Note:**

> If you had told me a few months ago that I would be writing a fan fic for Adventures in Babysitting (2016) I wouldn't have believed you. AND YET here we are, here it is, a trash fic from a silly prompt that was given to me.
> 
> This was highkey written under @evies-grimhildes' influence because I never would have even watched this movie if it weren't for her, so. I don't really know how this fic turned out but I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> (Title from Rescue Me by Sabrina Carpenter.)

 

 

To tell you the truth, Jenny Parker has never had many friends.

 

And, yeah, alright, maybe that's an understatement. It's not that she doesn't _know_ people, because everyone is familiar with who Jenny Parker is, since she's been on the Debate Team since freshman year and the student council as treasurer for two years—a feat she's very proud of, thank you very much— and biology club, Model UN, Mathletes—

 

The point is… Jenny Parker knows people. She just doesn't know how to talk to them. Or be friends with them. Or build normal, casual relationships with any of them. There are a lot of problems and maybe she should figure out why exactly that is, but there are much more important things for her to do.

 

So when she actually made a friend while volunteering at a summer camp this past August, Jenny was equally stunned and delighted— not because she found a friend, but, well... the friend found her. Which was good enough.

 

The friend in question's name was Allison, a girl with dark hair and legs long enough to measure her somewhere around 6 feet tall, with glasses and a very strong love for science. They got along well enough, and Jenny silently wondered if all friendships were as easy as this one turned out to be, because if so she'd been seriously missing out. It was also kind of scary to think that once the month neared its end, Jenny and Allison hanging out and yelling at misbehaving camp kids would no longer be an everyday activity.

 

Luckily for her, on the last day of camp Allison had given her a quick goodbye hug along with a note containing her phone number.

 

 _“Text me whenever you want,”_ Allison told her, a grin on her face displaying her bright blue metal braces that she hadn't yet grown out of. _“Maybe we can hang out if you aren't busy!”_

 

Jenny had nodded eagerly, fingers tightly gripping the folded note out of fear that she might lose this if she wasn't careful enough. (The note or the friendship? She didn't really know.)

 

September came along and with the beginning of school came responsibilities, homework, clubs, extra volunteer work, and a lot more babysitting. It wasn't a surprise that Jenny didn't have many friends, not with a schedule like the one she so carefully crafted, but somewhere along the line she found a night to pull that particular note out of her bedside drawer and text her newest (and... only) friend.

 

**Jenny Parker 8:31PM**

Hey Allison! It's Jenny. I've been extremely busy lately                                              
but I wanted to check in and see how you're doing.                                            

 

**Jenny Parker 8:34PM**

I'm planning on running for student council president                                              
instead of treasurer since it's my senior year! My mom                                              
said I shouldn't overwork myself, but I think it'll be fine.                                              
  
What do you think?                                             

 

**Jenny Parker 8:39PM**

Oh, and you know how we were working on                                              
breathing exercises for my anxiety? I think I'm                                              
getting better at it! Thanks for helping me out. :)                                             

 

That's a good way to start a conversation, right? It doesn't help that she kind of texts as if she's writing an email, but Allison won't mind, right? Jenny had to admit, she was really excited to hear back from her friend so that they could catch up on each others’ lives and talk about their plans for the semester.

 

Now, there was a very important paper she needed to write (which wouldn't be due until November, but she loved to be one step ahead) and a quiz to study for, so Jenny put her phone on silent and casted it aside to be looked at later. An hour passed, and then two, and by the time the clock struck 10:30 Jenny was tired and ready for bed. But before getting some sleep, she couldn't help but grab her phone and check the notifications for a text back from Allison, holding her breath in anticipation.

 

Except… there was nothing.

 

No reply to her questions, no new stories or updates about her life. Not even any sign of acknowledgement that could let Jenny know that she'd received her texts. Nothing. So maybe Allison was just busy, she figured. Allison could have gone to bed early that night and not seen the recent messages. There were a lot of possibilities besides the ones she desperately hoped weren't the case, really, and Jenny knew that.

 

The overwhelming feeling of disappointment still lingered when she went to bed that night, though.

 

A day later, there were still no responses from Allison. At this point, Jenny decided that maybe she just never saw the messages; she could have accidentally swiped the notifications or thought that it was a stranger and ignored them. Her phone could have broken or gotten lost like that time one of the Anderson kids— was it AJ?— dropped Jenny's own phone in the pool and it hadn't worked until it miraculously turned on a week later.

 

Allison intentionally not responding to her texts? Not a possibility (she hoped). Jenny would just have to try again, right? Reaching out is what friends do.

 

**Jenny Parker 5:02PM**

Hey again! It's Jenny, haha.                                            

Just wondering if you got my messages. How's it hanging?                                            

 

… How's it hanging? Really, Jenny? You could have done so much better than that. Regardless, she really hoped the new texts would finally get a response from the girl. The thought of losing her only friend really sucked, especially when it was such a short friendship— she hadn't done anything wrong, did she? What if Allison was angry because she'd taken so long to reach out?

 

Oh no.

 

Okay, relax, Jenny. That definitely couldn't be the case. Allison was a nice and understanding girl! There was no way that she suddenly hated Jenny and no longer wanted to speak to her ever again. Right?

 

Right.

 

It wasn't until two days later during the last few minutes of second period that Jenny decided to send another text message (after subsequently not receiving any responses prior). A series of unfortunate events had occurred that morning, followed by an even more unfortunate flurry of emotions that even the most calming of breathing techniques couldn't ease, which resulted in Jenny having a full blown panic attack in the girls’ locker room. All in all, not an incredible morning for Jenny Parker.

 

And when she'd had an emotional breakdown earlier that August, Allison was the one to help talk her through it and she was kind of still her only friend even if she hadn't responded to any of the text messages, so Jenny wasn't surprised at herself when she pulled her phone out in the middle of the empty locker room.

 

**Jenny Parker 10:17AM**

Hey haha, um. I just had an intense panic attack                                              
and I'm not really sure what to do right now.                                            

I know you haven't replied to anything and I'm                                              
not sure why but you're sort of my only friend so                                              
I don't know who else to talk to about this and                                              
it's embarrassing. Haha sorry for bothering you.                                             

 

**Allison (Camp) 10:22AM**

                                           um

                                           hey dude i'm not your friend but should i be worried?

 

 **Jenny Parker** **10:24AM**

...Excuse me?                                            

 

**Allison (Camp) 10:25AM**

                                           yeah idk who allison is you have the wrong number

                                           my name is lola

 

**Jenny Parker 10:26AM**

WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING?                                            

 

**Allison (Camp) 10:28AM**

                                           girl chill i thought you'd stop texting me LOL

 

**Jenny Parker 10:28AM**

THIS ISN'T HELPING ME AT ALL.                                            

 

As if her morning couldn't get any worse— the one friend she'd been talking to (even though the word talking is a bit of a stretch) for the past few days wasn't even her friend at all! How does that even happen? Frustrated, Jenny lets her phone drop onto one of the locker room benches as the loud clatter echoes and bounces off of the walls. That's it, Jenny decides, there's no way this day could possibly get worse from here.

 

The incessant buzzing of her phone and soft sound of Beethoven was enough to pull her out of the swirling tornado that was her thoughts, leaving her to wonder _who_ on earth would be calling her right now. For a moment, Jenny watches as the screen of her phone lights up, not yet reaching over to answer it. Even with the distance between the phone and where she currently stood, Jenny could read the bold caller ID that had appeared: _Allison (Camp)_.

 

What. The fuck.

 

Not even taking a moment to consider the consequences, Jenny snatches her phone off of the bench and taps the button that would accept the call.

 

“Hello?” is the first thing she says, just a little on the frantic side and voice kind of shaky. And then she waits.

 

And waits.

 

And for a moment she could have sworn that this must have been a prank call or an accident because there are no signs of life on the other end of the call whatsoever, and she is this close to simply hanging up and moving on, but then she can hear movement right before—

 

“You good?”

 

It was a female voice, Lola's she assumed, whoever that may be. Jenny wasn't going to dwell on the fact that it _was_ a very nice voice and one that she wouldn't mind hearing more often, and instead lets frustration build up in her throat until it spills out.

 

“Good? I literally had a panic attack thirty minutes ago and apparently I've been texting the wrong phone number for almost a week,” Jenny says in a whirlwind of words, and she isn't even sure that Lola catches everything with how fast she'd said it. “I'm far from it, and I'm sorry, but this is really not helping.”

 

“Woah, relax, I was just trying to help! I didn't even have to call, you know,” Lola replies defensively, and she has a point. It was a nice gesture to reach out and make sure Jenny was alright. That's what friends do, even though they absolutely are not friends. They don't know each other! Lola could be a serial killer for all Jenny knows, and _oh god_ she has class in five minutes according to the wall clock.

 

Eyes squeezed shut, Jenny inhales deeply before continuing. “Look— Lola, right? I appreciate it, but this is overwhelming.”

 

“You said something about breathing exercises, right? Just do those,” Lola replies. As if it’s that easy.

 

“I can't just—”

 

“Walk through them like you're teaching them to me or whatever,” the girl insists, and it isn't a horrible idea despite her poor articulation, so… Jenny takes another deep breath and decides that it's worth a shot.

 

And for two minutes (as embarrassing as it was and thank god for the fact that no one else was in the locker room during this period) Jenny explained that they would breathe in and hold it for three seconds and then they would exhale, and repeat. She couldn't be completely sure but it at least sounded like Lola was following and doing it along with her, which was admittedly helpful for a stranger.

 

The third period warning bell blares throughout the halls, startling Jenny and ending the breathing session that has actually made a significant difference.

 

“I have to go,” Jenny says, phone nested between her ear and shoulder as she reaches to grab her bookbag off of the grimy locker room floor.

 

“You're welcome!” Lola sings on the other end without a thank you to prompt it, which would have made Jenny roll her eyes if it weren't for the fact that this unexpected phone call actually helped her out.

 

“Yeah,” Jenny murmurs awkwardly, “thank you.”

 

Then, before Lola can say anything else, Jenny taps the end call button and shoves her phone into her bag to forget about until later. That was weird, the entire morning has been weird, and Jenny might have made a new friend if a random phone call even counts as starting a friendship. (Is she that desperate for friends?) More importantly, that would be for future Jenny to figure out, since present Jenny has a calculus class to get to.

 

And the rest of her classes were a complete drag, which is not something Jenny Parker would normally say about her school day. Usually she'd have been engaged and thrilled to have gotten so much done in one day, but physically and mentally she was drained. So unbelievably drained that the first idea she came up with upon getting home after school was to take a _nap_. A nap! Usually the first thing she thinks to do after getting home is to complete any important homework assignments.

 

Her body was thankful to lay down on soft sheets that had been freshly washed the previous night, tension relieved for a few peaceful minutes. Even though she probably would not in fact end up taking a nap, not when she had so much to do today, it was still pleasant to give her eyes a moment's rest.

 

Left alone with a quiet bedroom and her thoughts, Jenny couldn't help but do a quick rundown of the day's events. She'd spilled coffee on one of her favorite sweaters while rushing out of the house— which was because her alarm hadn't gone off on time for whatever reason, and she woke up approximately 20 minutes before she needed to leave. Somehow in her rush she forgot her binder for first period, consequently leaving her with no homework assignment to turn in. Then some girls had the _nerve_ to make rude comments about her in the halls before second period! Usually it wouldn't have bothered her, but she couldn't help but feel angry and hurt and then—

 

And then there was the phone call. Which was really weird but nice at the same time, even though that does not mean Jenny could forgive the fact that this “Lola” girl left her on read for days instead of addressing the misunderstanding. It was messed up and irresponsible, and to think she actually believed Allison would ignore her messages like that!

 

Jenny sighs and stares at her ceiling for another minute, blonde hair sprawled out around her as she reminds herself that there is no need to dwell on that anymore. All she has to do is move on.

 

Then there is buzzing, followed by the deceivingly smooth tune of _Fur Elise_. With dread, Jenny opens one eye and glances at the screen to read the exact caller ID that she did not want to see at that given moment. Or ever again, actually.

 

Sadly, Jenny Parker has never been great at ignoring people and now is no exception. There is great reluctance in how she picks up the phone and brings it to her ear, but yes, she picks it up nonetheless.

 

“Hello?” Jenny answers, the confusion powerful in her voice.

 

Unsurprisingly, it's Lola on the other end who greets her with nonchalance. “Jenny, hey! You doing okay?”

 

Jenny can't contain the frown that appears on her face. The other girl's words were nothing to ease her confusion; Lola was so… casual about this. “You say that as if we know each other.”

 

“You were freaking out this morning! And you said that you have no one else to talk to,” Lola responds, followed by a pause. The sound of a straw scraping against the top of a plastic cup screeches through the phone before Lola adds, “Besides, I like to think I'm actually pretty good at giving advice.”

 

“No offense, but I thought I was talking to Allison. You are _not_ her, you're some random stranger who I accidentally texted,” Jenny replies with just a hint of harshness to it. No wonder she never makes any friends, huh? “You don't know me and you don't have to look after me.”

 

“Wow. You're not good at being friendly, are you?” Lola says, tone shifting noticeably. Only in that moment does Jenny realize how unnecessarily rude she's being, even if she has her reasons (taking out her frustration on the wrong outlet has always been her specialty). “Now I get why your friend Allison gave you the wrong number. Have a nice night.”

 

A very distinct beep informs Jenny that Lola had immediately hung up on her, and yeah, she deserved that.

 

Maybe she should call her back.

 

Average, everyday Jenny Parker would be yelling at current Jenny Parker about how ridiculous this was and how much time she’s already wasted, but current Jenny Parker is kind of a disaster and feels bad about being bitchy to a stranger that was simply trying to help. Current Jenny Parker is re-dialing Lola's phone number, hoping the girl hasn't blocked her already, and waits for an answer.

 

It doesn't seem as though the call is going to be answered until the very last second, when the sound of Lola sighing suddenly comes through instead of a waiting dial.

 

“I thought you weren't interested in talking to a stranger?” Lola questions, this time sounding way more disinterested than she had the first time she called.

 

“That wasn't really a nice way to talk to you. I'm having an off day,” Jenny chooses to explain. “I appreciate that you called.”

 

Another brief moment of silence from Lola. “Is that all?”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“I was expecting an apology,” Lola clarifies, “or are you one of those people that doesn't do apologies?”

 

Baffled, Jenny sits up on her bed and tries to fight the disbelief growing at Lola's response. “Look, I was trying to be nice—”

 

“So was I.” Once again, she has a point.

 

“Okay, can we just start over? This isn't going well,” Jenny groans. She couldn't believe she was even having this conversation, let alone trying to work through her brand new issues with a complete stranger. Maybe she really _is_ desperate for friends. “My name is Jenny Parker. I'm a student, part-time babysitter, and I plan to start college next Fall. I texted you by accident instead of my friend, Allison.”

 

The sound of light snickering surprises Jenny, especially when Lola had just been pissed off at her a few seconds ago. “Part-time babysitter? Interesting career choice.”

 

“It pays a lot!”

 

“Oh, I'm sure you get paid a lot to sit around while the kids watch TV,” Lola comments with amusement, and Jenny wants to combat that with actual facts about what she does while babysitting and how challenging it can actually be, but Lola is already moving on before she can. “Lola Perez. I don't go to college, but if I did I would be a freshman.”

 

So they're somewhere around the same age. Not that that was surprising, but it makes this whole situation less weird. Still awkward, less weird. A small, unexpected smile appears on Jenny's face by the time she finally says, “It's nice to meet you, Lola.”

 

***

 

Being “friends” with Lola Perez is an odd arrangement. They text each other— which, quite frankly, means that Lola would spam Jenny whenever she's busy until she had free time to respond. (Jenny wanted to find this annoying, and a majority of the time she did. A part of her found it to be reassuring, though. The lonely part of her.) They even call each other every now and then, since it's kind of been their thing from the very beginning. There is not a single reason for them to be talking as frequently as they do except for the fact that they want to, and that means…

 

Jenny Parker has a friend.

 

Yes, an annoying and still extremely new friend, but a _friend_.

 

She made sure that the two of them had some ground rules, because it wouldn’t be Jenny Parker if she didn’t ensure they had some kind of organization and joint understandings. For starters, Lola wasn’t allowed to text her during any school activities due to it possibly becoming a distraction. This was the most commonly broken rule of the few Jenny had set, and while Lola most definitely _did_ distract her more often than not, Jenny couldn’t say that she minded it very much.

 

**Lola Perez 4:32PM**

                                           jenny

 

**Lola Perez 4:43PM**

                                           jenny

                                           jenny

                                           jenny

 

**Jenny Parker 4:55PM**

Lola, you know I have debate team until 5:30 on Tuesdays.                                            

What is it?                                            

 

**Lola Perez 4:57PM**

                                           you need to see this pic of a cat that i took

 

**Jenny Parker 5:00PM**

Are you serious? That's what this is about?                                            

 

**Lola Perez 5:02PM**

                                           uh yeah

                                           it's a cute cat

 

**Jenny Parker 5:03PM**

I'm turning my phone off until I get home.                                            

 

**Lola Perez 5:05PM**

                                           WAIT JENNY COME ON

 

(Despite how hard she tried to be stern about her no-texting-during-school-activities rule, Jenny had to admit that it was a pretty cute cat.)

 

***

 

Jenny ended up learning a lot more about Lola Perez than she'd ever intended to or imagined that she would. For example, the two of them discovered that Lola only lives around 20 minutes away from Jenny's hometown and they grew up pretty close to each other. Lola's favorite color has been purple ever since the first grade because she used to have a fascination with the backpack from Dora the Explorer. She spends all of her time doing photography and takes pride in being an art enthusiast, interested in one day becoming a well-known professional with works hanging in museums. Her favorite season is fall and it's the only time of the year that Lola drinks anything other than smoothies, which are her favorite, and she spends all of her money on pumpkin spice lattes. As a child she had a cat named Snow, but these days the only pet she can manage to take care of is a fish named Patricia.

 

(Jenny tried to make a joke about how her name should have been _Pa-fish-a_ , _am I right?_ and the speed at which Lola hung up on her was unparalleled by any other measurement of speed known to man.)

 

They've seen pictures of each other and Jenny learned very quickly that Lola Perez is as stunning as Jenny imagined she would be, if not more. To think that Lola preferred being behind the camera rather than in front of it was almost a crime, but photography was her passion and Jenny knew that it was more than just a hobby.

 

Lola learned a lot about Jenny, too; learned about all of her achievements and goals and what motivated her and what her biggest fears were. Most secrets like those come out at night time when Lola calls right before Jenny gets ready to sleep (somewhere around 10PM usually, a concept that turned out to be very difficult for Lola to grasp, who finds going to bed at three in the morning more reasonable) and when Jenny rambles in bed about whatever is on her mind that particular night.

 

All of Lola's presence in her life becomes a routine. Suddenly her days weren't just Jenny Parker and her impenetrable schedule of schoolwork and babysitting; they were Jenny Parker and her schoolwork and babysitting and _sometimes_ Lola Perez, a friend that had appeared out of the clear blue sky. It was suddenly normal to hear the buzzing of her phone at 11PM and know exactly who it was texting her at that hour, as if her life had always been that way.

 

**Lola Perez 11:07PM**

                                           hey i'm gonna call you

                                           k?

 

**Jenny Parker 11:08PM**

Right now?? It's so la                                            

 

Before she can even finish that sentence and send out her response, Jenny watches as the incoming call message pops up on her screen amidst the darkness of her bedroom. She accepts it as usual, bracing for Lola's loud and careless voice to wake her up from her barely touched slumber.

 

“Hey girlfriend—” Lola greets, and Jenny is never quite sure why she insists on calling her that, just that she _does—_  “What's up?”

 

Jenny glances over at her alarm clock that sits quietly on her nightstand to assess the actual time and replies, “I was trying to get some sleep.”

 

“Oh, right, I always forget you're a grandma who goes to bed early,” Lola laughs. The comment isn't even offensive anymore, not when Lola makes similar jokes every other night after going through the same exact process every time. It's a wonder how Jenny hasn't threatened the girl's life with how many times she'd interrupted her sleep lately. Then, as smoothly as Lola always manages to transition between conversation topics, she gasps and says, “You'll never believe what happened to me today.”

 

“Try me.”

 

“So: funny story, I was trying to sell some concert tickets on the street for extra cash and got arrested,” Lola explains. Considering how calmly she was telling the story, you'd almost think this wasn't a story about getting in trouble with the law. Almost. (Jenny already has a vast amount of questions.) “But when I got to the police station this officer kept flirting with me, so he let me go with a warning! And then I had to explain to him that I'm totally gay and not interested.”

 

“You got _arrested_? What were—” Jenny gawks, and quickly stops short to consider another question that probes at the forefront of her mind. “Wait, you're gay?”

 

“Really? You couldn't tell?” Lola asks in a tone that sounds an awful lot like shock. Not to mention that she deliberately ignores the first question, but it falls second on the priorities scale.  “Did you not catch that entire speech I gave yesterday on how hot Angelina Jolie looked in Maleficent or…?”

 

“No no, I did! I just…” A careful pause. “I didn't realize.”

 

“Is that a problem for you?” Lola speaks, and Jenny can sense that the girl is frowning.

 

“What? No, of course not!” Jenny corrects herself, “I've never spoken to anybody about this topic. Sexuality. Well, _my_ sexuality specifically.”

 

The rapid beating of her heart is only proof of how scary the idea of coming out is to Jenny. Being attracted to women isn't a new concept to her and in a way she's always known this fact about herself. Sharing this fact with other people, however, has never once been on her to-do list; not in high school and certainly not yet to her parents. Maybe she would have told her friends if she had any prior to this, but in the end she never did and the secret has remained safe with herself and only herself.

 

Lola prompts, “Which is…?”

 

“I think I'm attracted to girls. I mean, I know I'm attracted to girls. Only girls.”

 

“Oh,” is the only word that leaves Lola's mouth for a second. Clearly she wasn't expecting the confession, and quite honestly Jenny wasn't either. Then Lola is sounding excited and full of energy, having fully processed the fact that her new friend is just as gay as she is. “Oh my god, this is great! Are you out?”

 

“Not… exactly,” Jenny frowns, embarrassed by the statement. Lola sounds so confident and comfortable with her sexuality and yet Jenny can barely manage to admit it to herself most days.

 

Lola barely seems fazed. “That's okay. Take your time, girl.”

 

And yeah, she will take her time the way she always intended to. But then she thinks that maybe having Lola in her life is a good thing in terms of fully accepting herself, and the process could potentially speed up a little bit. Only time can tell something like that.

 

For now, Jenny struggles to stay awake for another 30 minutes listening to stories about Lola's celebrity crushes and shares her agreements every now and then. She wonders what Lola Perez would sound like describing Jenny Parker with this much enthusiasm, but she doesn't question why such a concept would be on her mind in the first place.

 

***

 

“Jenny?”

 

Bobby Anderson's voice hardly even registers with Jenny, not when she's too focused on scolding Lola through text about her getting yet another parking ticket and how she really needs to get better with that before she gets in even more trouble. Jenny's fingers are rapidly tapping away at her phone screen when suddenly there's a tinier hand, not her own, wedging itself between her face and the device and waving to get her attention.

 

“Jenny!” Bobby shouts, and this time Jenny fully snaps back to reality and remembers where she is. At the Anderson house. Working. “Are you going to help me with my math homework?”

 

“Oh— yeah! Of course,” Jenny smiles, a laugh escaping her lips that sounds borderline nervous and awkward. How long had Bobby been trying to get her attention? That was so unusual of her; Jenny Parker is never too distracted by her phone, let alone so distracted by her phone that she forgets about the kids she's babysitting.

 

For a moment Bobby stares at her as if he's well aware of this fact, and she curses the fact that this kid is too smart for his age before shoving her phone deep into the depth of her back jeans pocket in hopes that he'll just forget about it. They sit down at the kitchen table and he pulls out his terrifyingly thick math workbook that lands on the surface with a _thud_. Jenny smiles and rummages through her jacket to retrieve a well-sharpened pencil from one of the pockets, and Bobby starts flipping through the workbook pages when he says—

 

“Were you texting a boy?”

 

Jenny very nearly drops the pencil she'd just grabbed and almost falls out of her chair all at once, because she really was not expecting a question like _that_. Even worse, the kid is smiling at her as if he knows, and she can't help but stumble over her words.

 

“Huh? No! That definitely wasn't a boy, believe me,” Jenny shakes her head, cringing at the idea that _boy_ is the default assumption in conversations like these. She can't really be mad anyway, Bobby is just a child and he doesn't know better, but that doesn't change the fact that this isn't his business in the first place. “It was my... friend, Lola. Did you find the homework pages yet?”

 

He shakes his head and keeps flipping through the pages, and Jenny is left to wonder why her face feels like it's on fire. The answer should be obvious, right? It was embarrassing! For Bobby to think she would ever be texting a _boy_ (the ‘friend’ in _boyfriend_ implied) instead of focusing on her babysitting duties. Even if Jenny Parker was dating someone, she would never let them distract her from babysitting— that's Babysitting Rule #8. Lola just so happens to be an exception because, well, it's Lola and she'll continue bombarding Jenny's phone regardless of whether she gets a reply or not.

 

And more importantly, Jenny wants to stop thinking about how Lola is becoming more and more of an exception to everything and how much she's having an impact on Jenny's life in such a short amount of time and— oh, Bobby is waving a hand in front of her face again.

 

“I found the page,” he says, hand retracting now that he's snapped Jenny out of her thoughts. Bobby gives her one final glance before looking down at his workbook and innocently asking, “Were you thinking about your friend?”

 

As if Jenny's face wasn't red enough already.

 

“How about we stop bringing her up?” Jenny insists. She is absolutely positive that her face is the same shade of red as the marinara sauce Bobby made last weekend for dinner, and that thought alone frazzles her mind even more. “You have homework to get done before your parents come home, remember? So let's see that first problem.”

 

The rest of the evening goes by pretty smoothly, thank god, but Jenny continues to be hyper aware of how aware _Bobby_ is of every little vibration her phone makes. And also how unreasonably awkward she's being. Doing the math homework is a breeze and by the time they’re just finishing up, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson return from their night out and thank Jenny for looking after the kids again.

 

(To be truthful, the job has simply become a second nature to her.)

 

20 minutes and a car ride later, Jenny is dropping onto her bed in exhaustion and pulling her phone out for the first time in over an hour. She has three unread messages from Lola, each one about something different yet equally silly. Then Jenny remembers that she has an absurd new story to tell, too, about Bobby Anderson's ludicrous assumptions.

 

**Jenny Parker 7:25PM**

One of the kids I was babysitting thought                                              
I was texting my “boyfriend” today.                                            

 

**Lola Perez 7:29PM**

                                           yeah? who's the unlucky guy?

 

**Jenny Parker 7:34PM**

Shut up.                                            

I was only texting you, I don't                                              
know why he thought that.                                            

 

**Lola Perez 7:41PM**

                                           it was my charm

                                           what can i say

 

**Jenny Parker 7:43PM**

Charm? Is that what people call being                                              
annoying these days? I'm so out of the loop!                                            

 

**Lola Perez 7:48PM**

                                           you LITERALLY talk like my grandma

 

                                           just start waving around a pair of chanclas  
                                           while threatening the kids to get off your  
                                           lawn and the resemblance will be uncanny

 

**Jenny Parker 7:57PM**

I'd rather not.                                            

What are you up to tonight?                                            

 

**Lola Perez 8:05PM**

                                           editing some new pics to add to my portfolio

                                           i took some nice ones this morning

                                           hbu?

                                           wild night in the old folk's home i assume

 

**Jenny Parker 8:08PM**

If you make another grandma                                              
joke I'm going to block you.                                            

I have to work on a presentation that's due next week.                                            

 

**Lola Perez 8:10PM**

                                           laaaame

 

**Jenny Parker 8:23PM**

Could I see some of your pictures?                                            

 

**Lola Perez 8:31PM**

                                           gasp

                                           are you asking for nudes

 

**Jenny Parker 8:32PM**

LOLA THAT'S NOT WHAT I                                              
MEANT AND YOU KNOW IT                                            

 

**Lola Perez 8:34PM**

                                           do i?

                                           but yeah i can totally show you  
                                           if you're interested hang on

                                           i'll share a folder with you on google drive

 

**Jenny Parker 9:02PM**

These pictures are beautiful!! You're really talented.                                            

 

**Lola Perez 9:03PM**

                                           that might be the nicest thing  
                                           you've said to me, parker

                                           but thank you i know

 

**Jenny Parker 9:10PM**

Seriously, one day you're gonna be really famous.                                            

 

**Lola Perez 9:16PM**

                                           that's the dream

                                           i'll try to stay humble when that day comes :)

 

**Jenny Parker 9:18PM**

Do you even know what that word means?                                            

 

**Lola Perez 9:22PM**

                                           i do actually thank you for asking

                                           i'm about to take a shower  
                                           but i'll call you once i'm out k

 

**Jenny Parker 9:25PM**

I'll be waiting!                                            

 

Jenny doesn't really notice the little smile on her face when she turns her phone screen off and resumes her studying, but if she did she probably would have been able to figure out why Bobby Anderson thought she was texting her boyfriend.

 

Smitten people tend to have a certain look in their eyes and a special smile, as if they can't help the way they feel and certainly can't contain those feelings. Jenny Parker has seen it in romantic comedy movies and TV shows that her parents watch occasionally, and she'd always roll her eyes at how oblivious those people were.

 

But they're not Jenny Parker, though. Jenny doesn't have feelings for anyone and even if by some odd chance she did, she would never be able to make time for that.

 

(She never realizes that the time is already there, and it is already happening.)

 

***

 

**Lola Perez 7:36PM**

                                           i need help

 

**Jenny Parker 7:40PM**

I'm babysitting right now but I can try. What's going on?                                            

 

**Lola Perez 7:43PM**

                                           should i wear a red or blue scarf on my date tonight

 

**Jenny Parker 7:44PM**

You have a date tonight?                                            

Blue.                                            

 

**Lola Perez 7:47PM**

                                           omg yeah i met this girl the other  
                                           day at my favorite smoothie place

                                           we're going to the movies

 

**Jenny Parker 7:54PM**

I thought you said you hated movie dates?                                            

 

**Lola Perez 7:55PM**

                                           i do but i didn't make the plans

 

**Jenny Parker 7:58PM**

She could have at least asked you. That's not cool.                                            

Shouldn't dates be about both                                              
of you enjoying yourselves?                                            

 

**Lola Perez 8:02PM**

                                           look she's nice ok? i'm giving it a shot

                                           at least i have a date and i'm not  
                                           stuck babysitting my teacher's kids :)

 

**Jenny Parker 8:10PM**

I could get a date if I wanted to!                                            

Zac Chase asked me out last week, remember?                                            

 

**Lola Perez 8:29PM**

                                           yeah but you're a lesbian boys don't count

 

**Jenny Parker 8:35PM**

I don't need to date. My academics                                              
come first and you know that.                                            

 

**Lola Perez 8:38PM**

                                           sounds like a bunch of excuses to meeee

                                           i'll call you later xo

 

**Jenny Parker 9:06PM**

Have fun on your movie date I guess!!                                            

 

Sometimes it's difficult to notice when someone new integrates themselves so easily into your schedule. Lola Perez had slipped into the cracks of Jenny Parker's life and occupied them as if she had always belonged there; they spoke so frequently that it was more ordinary to call each other every night than not.

 

The point is: Jenny Parker has a routine and she has become accustomed to it. Lola has snuck her way into being there. Always.

 

Lola forgets to call that night of the date— though maybe _forgets_ isn't the right word— and it doesn't feel right. Jenny stays up waiting for that phone call for an hour despite knowing that it'll probably never come. Two hours. Three, even, before her eyes finally surrender to the looming desire to get some rest. She wakes up the next Saturday morning feeling as though her world has been thrown off of its axis overnight, and she doesn't like it one bit.

 

Obviously Lola doesn't leave her hanging for too long since that would be out of character, and at some point around one in the afternoon Jenny can hear her phone vibrating repeatedly on her nightstand, interrupting the classical music playing from her laptop.

 

**Lola Perez 1:12PM**

                                           jenny hey

                                           sorry about not calling last night i got distracted

                                           hope you didn't miss me too much xx

 

**Jenny Parker 1:15PM**

Of course not. I actually got a                                              
good night's sleep for once.                                            

How was the date?                                            

 

**Lola Perez 1:22PM**

                                           nothing special

                                           she was kind of a bitch but a really good kisser

                                           so we might have another date next weekend

 

**Jenny Parker 1:27PM**

Seriously? That's all it takes to get a second date?                                            

You could do way better than that.                                            

 

**Lola Perez 1:29PM**

                                           oh yeah? with who?

 

And the urge to type the word _ME_ catches Jenny so off guard that her fingers still and she stares at the screen for another minute and a half, not actually planning to type _me_ but the fact that she even thought about it is more than enough. Why would she think that in the first place? It's not like she's developed a crush on Lola Perez.

 

Oh god.

 

Jenny Parker has developed a crush on Lola Perez.

 

When did this happen? _How_ did this happen? Jenny was so sure that she was just strictly admiring Lola as a friend. They're so different from each other— Jenny could never imagine herself dating someone who stays up late every night and drives recklessly and never follows any rules— and yet she already has, numerous times at night before going to bed just after ending a phone call with Lola. The signs were always there, sure, but how did Jenny let this happen?

 

More importantly: what the hell is she supposed to do now that she's acknowledged this information?

 

Jenny's phone buzzes again in her hand with another text message from Lola.

 

**Lola Perez 1:46PM**

                                           omg i forgot to tell you

                                           i scored that internship with my favorite photographer

                                           his assistant called this morning

 

**Jenny Parker 1:48PM**

That's awesome, Lola! Congratulations!!                                            

 

With every fiber of her being, Jenny prays that Lola doesn't notice that she conveniently skipped over the question of _who_ and gladly moves on. She really doesn't need more questions, especially not from the girl that Jenny apparently had a crush on.

 

Because, oh yes, that is definitely a thing.

 

A thing that Jenny Parker does not know how to handle alone.

 

***

 

Jenny Parker has never really had any friends.

 

Which, in turn, means that her list of people to talk to about certain subjects tends to be pretty limited. If it isn't too embarrassing she'll talk to her parents and if it isn't too personal she'll just google it. Sometimes she'll meet someone like Allison who relates to all of her problems and is easy to talk to, but Jenny kind-of-sort-of completely forgot to finish tracking her down after meeting Lola.

 

And then there's, you know, the kids. That she babysits.

 

Sure, they're usually no older than 10 years old and aren't fit to provide any relevant advice regardless of the topic. There are a few exceptions however, and Jenny Parker is just slightly desperate to get these feelings off of her chest. So…

 

“Trey, can I ask you a few questions?” Jenny not-so-casually says in the living room that Tuesday at the Anderson house (because Tuesday nights are always Mr. and Mrs. Anderson's date nights). Trey had been sitting on the carpet playing games on his phone while waiting for everyone else to come downstairs to play a family game of Uno. He visibly stiffens after hearing Jenny's words and shakes his head.

 

“If you're asking about the broken light switch in the upstairs hallway, it wasn't me.”

 

Jenny squints at him. “Broken light switch? That's not… I'll take a look at that later. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something personal.”

 

“Oh. Okay…” Trey murmurs and closes the game on his phone before putting it down on his lap. Jenny sits down next to him on the carpet— careful to slip her shoes off first as to not track dirt around— and inhales deeply. Trey watches her expectantly, though he's not sure what he is expecting.

 

“If you have feelings for someone, how do you know if you want to date them?” Jenny picks her words with care, especially by selecting the word _them_ instead of _her_.

 

“Uh, you know you're asking a middle schooler for dating advice, right?” Trey laughs a bit and Jenny starts to feel even more awkward than she did initiating the conversation.

 

This was a terrible idea. She shouldn't have done this.

 

Before Jenny can slam on the metaphorical eject button and forcefully remove herself from the conversation by excusing herself to go to the bathroom, Trey takes his turn to ask, “Is this about that girl you keep texting?” And at the way Jenny gapes at him, stunned, he laughs again and adds, “Bobby told us.”

 

Curse that Bobby Anderson for being too smart for his age.

 

“Yes,” she sighs. “Yes, it's the girl I've been texting. Does anyone else know about this?”

 

“Besides me, Bobby, and AJ? No.”

 

Great. All of the Anderson kids know about Jenny Parker's giant and embarrassing crush. Not ideal, but at least she doesn't have to explain anything to them. “I think I like her a lot, but I've never seriously dated anyone. Plus, I'm so busy all of the time!” Jenny exclaims in frustration, just about ready to pull her hair out if she doesn't get it together.

 

“Are you sure you're _that_ busy? ‘Cause you're always talking to her anyway,” Trey shrugs. “And if you like her that much, wouldn't you be willing to try?”

 

Maybe all of the Anderson kids are more intelligent than they let on. Trey has a point, since Jenny does always have the time for hour long phone calls before bed and study break text messages, and time to admire Lola's photographs and to tell Lola about what she has planned for the day. There has always been time for Lola, even in the middle of her busy schedule.

 

And she really, really does like Lola Perez.

 

“What if she doesn't feel the same way?” Jenny wonders out loud, the nervousness building in the confines of her chest.

 

“She'd be stupid not to,” Trey says rather too quickly. He covers it up by clearing his throat and shifting his sitting position awkwardly, and Jenny can at least appreciate that she isn't the only awkward one here. “I mean, I bet she will.”

 

It's in that moment that an excited AJ and Bobby come running down the stairs; AJ is holding an old package of Uno cards up in the air with an excited smile on her face.

 

“We found the cards!” AJ shouts, plopping herself down on the living room carpet right next to Jenny and Trey. Bobby follows suit, although he's always had significantly less energy than his sister.

 

They're all adorable in their own way, and Jenny can't help but smile fondly as AJ starts opening the box of cards. It disappears just as quickly when she starts dumping the cards out in a careless manner, and Jenny intervenes to organize and shuffle them.

 

Once Jenny is done shuffling and handing out seven cards to each kid including herself, she stands up from her spot on the carpet. “No one look at my cards! I'll be right back,” she says, excusing herself to go down the hall to use the bathroom.

 

Immediately following the sound of the bathroom door slamming shut, Jenny's phone begins to vibrate on the floor.

 

“That's Jenny's phone,” Bobby announces. He leans over and, albeit a bit nosy, reads the name of whoever is calling and gasps. “It's Lola! It's her!”

 

Trey glances back at the closed bathroom door down the hall and then back at his brother. “Answer it,” he whispers, and Bobby scrunches his nose in disdain.

 

“What? No! I'm not answering it.”

 

With zero hesitation, AJ is the one to reach over and grab the phone to hit the answer call button. “Hello?” AJ answers, listening intently to a confused Lola on the other end of the line. “I'm AJ. Jenny is our babysitter and she's in the bathroom.”

 

“Tell her I have an idea,” Trey whispers again.

 

“And my brother has an idea,” AJ whispers similarly, and the three siblings grin at each other.

 

***

 

Thursday night rolls around, and Jenny is in bed highlighting words in a textbook with one ear pressed up against her phone as Lola describes, in detail, the dream she had yesterday where she could turn into a parrot. Apparently it was a life changing experience for her. But there's an important calculus exam tomorrow along with a physics project due on Sunday, and then Jenny has plans to babysit the Andersons again, so she's kind of stressed out right now.

 

Theoretically, if she wanted to be less stressed out, Jenny should probably tell Lola to call back another time. She can't bring herself to do that, though, not when Lola always has so many exciting things to tell her. Jenny actually likes listening to her ramble about unimportant happenings, anyway.

 

“Are you even listening?” Lola says, and Jenny realizes that the answer is no. Oops. “Seriously, that calculus textbook can't be more interesting than me.”

 

“I don't know, I think it has a better sense of humor than you do,” Jenny retorts. The comment is playfully rude, which most of their replies to each other tend to be ever since talking that first day, but the lack of laughter or any kind of witty counter from Lola is worrisome. She starts to fear that maybe she’d gone too far somehow.

 

Eventually Lola questions with an oddly curious tone, “What do you really think about me, Parker?” and wow, okay, that sounds an awful lot like a loaded question.

 

Jenny bites her lip, contemplating the question and how she would even go about answering something like that without incriminating herself and exposing her top secret embarrassing crush. She starts with, “You're…” _beautiful, funny, irritatingly hot, talented—_   _no, Jenny—_  “...annoying, but I enjoy talking to you. You're really pretty and amazing at photography and I'm kind of jealous at how talented you are. Um… is that what you were looking for?”

 

It takes her a while, but Lola finally replies, “Yeah. Wow, thanks. And here I thought you hated me for all of the grandma jokes.”

 

Far from it, Jenny thinks, and shakes her head. “Why do you ask?”

 

“No reason. I just never really know what's going on inside your head,” Lola says. She sounds so deep in thought at the same time and it's almost enough to scare Jenny. If there's anything important on Lola's mind she never actually says it, simply finishing with a quiet yet finally understanding _huh_ before switching the conversation topic.

 

They chat for another thirty minutes before Jenny insists that she should really take a shower before getting some sleep. Lola complains about it for a while but eventually lets her go, though not without a promise to text her later. (Lola's choice of the word “later” instead of “tomorrow” should have concerned her. The truth is, Jenny Parker has spent multiple nights staying up to text Lola and she would gladly do it again. But… maybe not on a night before an exam.)

 

Jenny gets into bed after her shower and checks her phone, not surprised to find a text message from Lola.

 

**Lola Perez 11:09PM**

                                           got plans tomorrow?

 

**Jenny Parker 11:23PM**

Babysitting for the Andersons again after school.                                            

Why, do you?                                            

 

**Lola Perez 11:25PM**

                                           thinking about some date plans

 

**Jenny Parker 11:26**

Good for you.                                            

I need to sleep. Goodnight, Lola.                                            

 

**Lola Perez 11:29PM**

                                           night

                                           good luck on that exam xo

 

***

 

Jenny watches as Bobby Anderson stirs his pot of pasta sauce rapidly, another pot of spaghetti boiling beside him. The boy has always been an incredible chef— especially given his age— but Jenny has never seen him cook with so much precision. He's in his zone today, focused solely on his spaghetti and homemade garlic bread, and if she didn't know any better Jenny would think he was preparing for a competition.

 

“Don't you think maybe that's a little too much spaghetti?” Jenny asks, gathering the empty pasta boxes that Bobby had left on the counter to throw in the trash. It looks like he's making too much for just the four of them to eat for dinner, though maybe he's preparing extra for his parents.

 

Either way, Bobby doesn't respond and simply continues stirring his tomato sauce. Every now and then he adds in a dash of salt or cilantro. It's fascinating to watch, but Jenny knows that there are other kids to keep an eye on too.

 

Trey has, as usual, locked himself in his bedroom upstairs and hasn't been downstairs in over half an hour. AJ decided it would be fun to start decorating the place and started hanging up old Christmas lights in the living room, which may or may not be a fire hazard, so Jenny definitely needs to take them down before Mrs. Anderson returns from her dinner date.

 

And, honestly, Jenny Parker is a smart girl. She should have realized that something fishy was going on. The kids were being suspiciously well-behaved and quiet. Perhaps it was the smell of fresh pasta that distracted Jenny from their behavior, but she doesn't notice what's going on.

 

Not until the doorbell rings.

 

“Trey, did you order a pizza without permission again?” Jenny shouts up the staircase on her way to the front door. Then she opens it, ready to apologize to the poor pizza delivery guy who would have to just take whatever Trey ordered back to the store, only to come face to face with a bouquet of flowers instead.

 

A bouquet of flowers held by Lola Perez, who peeks out from behind them with a smirk.

 

“Lola?” Jenny gasps, and tries to pretend as though her heart didn't just almost leap out of her chest. Lola is snickering at her like this was the exact reaction she was expecting, which doesn't help or make any sense at all. “How did you—” She turns around and finds all three Anderson kids standing a few feet away with grins on their faces because _oh, of course they were behind this._

 

“I told you I had date plans,” Lola says, and the smile on her face is so wide that it looks painful. Jenny stares at her for a moment to process what she's talking about, and then, _oh my god_ , this is the date. Her mind is bombarded by a plethora of questions like how, when, why, but they’re all jumbling together when Lola is just standing there looking at Jenny like that. “Mind if I come in?”

 

Trey suddenly appears beside Jenny— dressed in a suit that he was not wearing earlier— and ushers Lola inside. In his hand are some sheets of paper that resemble poorly written restaurant menus, and Jenny knows that she usually encourages the kids to be creative but this isn’t quite what she had in mind. They've so carefully set up a dinner date for Jenny and Lola right under her nose and yet— Jenny can't be mad at them for it.

 

“Let me show you to your table,” Trey says, trying to do accent that is so butchered that Jenny can’t even tell what he was going for in the first place. She supposes it was supposed to make him sound more like a waiter. Lola gives her a smug look and one shoulder shrug that says _hey, you heard the man,_ and she follows Trey towards the kitchen table.

 

Jenny’s brain takes a minute or two to reboot after completely short circuiting as she still stands by the front door. A few quick breathing exercises won’t hurt, but she’s pretty sure no breathing exercise in the world could calm her heart down after seeing Lola Perez right in front of her for the first time. _Relax, Jenny. Just go talk to her. You can do this._

 

When she finally musters up the courage to make her way over to the dining table, Lola is already waiting for her with a hand propped under her chin.

 

“You look great, Parker,” Lola states, and Jenny almost thinks that it’s a jest at how messy her hair is after the day’s work and her entirely casual outfit not exactly suited for a dinner date setting, but something about Lola’s eyes after giving Jenny a generous onceover tells her that she’s being genuine.

 

“I can’t say I was expecting all of this,” Jenny nervously laughs. Her hand gestures vaguely to their surroundings, old Christmas lights strung up on the walls and all, then awkwardly wrings her hands together. “When you said date plans yesterday…”

 

“This wasn’t all my idea. The kids answered your phone the other day instead of you and um, the oldest one?— the brother— he suggested that we set this up,” Lola explains, and Jenny cannot believe that the Anderson kids have been plotting a date for her. And she didn’t even notice! “But I have to admit, I didn’t actually think you’d be interested in me.”

 

The fact that Lola could even _think_ that Jenny wouldn’t be interested in her is so absurd and unbelievable that Jenny feels the awkwardness throughout her body dissolve (despite how hard her heart is still pounding).

 

“Of course I’m interested in you!” Jenny nearly shouts, “You’re amazing and talented and funny and kind of the wildest person I’ve ever met, but I’m weirdly okay with it.”

 

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Lola smiles. There is so much more that she could say about Jenny Parker, about her laugh and her determination and intelligence, but they could spend an equal amount of time counting every single star in the universe. Now is not the time, although Lola knows that if she got started she would never stop. She nods at the empty seat across the table (since Jenny still looks like a fish out of water standing over there) and says to her, “Have dinner with me?”

 

And oh, right, Jenny probably should have taken a seat a long time ago. Her heart has stopped its rapid beating for the time being, but Jenny is sure that her face has turned several shades of red within the last few minutes. Once they have food in front of them, she’ll probably get better at this date thing, right? Jenny looks down at the menu Trey left resting on the table and realizes that it just has _Spaghetti_ listed over and over again with a tiny “garlic bread side dish” section scribbled in at the bottom.

 

Lola studies her own menu for a moment and pretends to look deeply conflicted, commenting, “Mm. Quite the selection.”

 

That gets a laugh out of Jenny and Lola beams, and it feels like Lola has just been watching her this whole time with so much happiness on her face and Jenny doesn’t really know how to process that. This is technically a date, Jenny recalls, which means Lola wouldn’t have come all this way if she didn’t have similar feelings for her. Jenny can't help but feel surprised at how comfortable she is in this moment after laughing with Lola, a drastic change from just moments ago. It isn’t so different from their phone calls, actually. Though perhaps being able to sit across from each other is a little better.

 

Trey slips in and out of the room to take their “orders” even though it is very clear what they're going to be eating, and Jenny appreciates his commitment to the waiter act.

 

AJ comes skating towards them a few minutes later on her roller skates, plates of Bobby’s spaghetti balanced in both arms for the two girls. She smiles excitedly at Lola and waves before skating back over to the kitchen, and Lola makes a quiet comment about how impressed she is by these kids and their efforts (even though she cannot remember their names for the life of her). She even makes a joke about _wow, the service at this restaurant is incredible_ and informs AJ to give her compliments to the chef— a sentiment Bobby will appreciate. Jenny enjoys watching it all unfold; the thought of Lola fitting in so perfectly despite all of their differences making her happier than she'd anticipated.

 

And when Mr. and Mrs. Anderson get home, Lola introduces herself to them as Jenny’s girlfriend— and Jenny isn’t entirely sure if she meant it in the friendly way like she always has or if she’s under the impression that they’re officially dating now. Jenny thought that she would be terrified of the latter, but as she walks out of the Anderson home with her hand in Lola’s she realizes that she is perfectly okay with it. Lola walks her to her car (which is much more conventional than Lola’s blue jeep) and only lets go of Jenny’s hand when she has to actually open the door and get into the driver’s seat.

 

Before getting into the car, Jenny turns around and finds Lola’s brown eyes focused on her and has a hard time resisting the impulse that overcomes her. She leans forward and leaves a peck on Lola’s lips that is in no way a groundbreaking, passionate kiss, but it’s short and sweet and enough to make both of their hearts flutter.

 

“I’m not usually one to kiss on the first date,” Jenny says, and it’s a joke because she really never does this and has never been on a legitimate date before tonight and Lola seems to catch that, so they giggle together until Jenny decides that it’s finally time to leave.

 

“I’ll call you tonight,” Lola tells her, walking across the Anderson’s front lawn backwards so that she can keep facing Jenny. It's as if she's still getting used to seeing Jenny's familiar voice in person, and she's having a hard time believing that this night is even happening at all.

 

Jenny rolls down her car window after getting inside and shouts, “I’ll be waiting!”

 

She doesn’t pull out of the driveway until Lola drives off too, blowing Jenny a kiss before taking off down the street into the night. The swelling in her chest as Jenny drives home is a brand new feeling, one that she’s always imagined but never quite felt and it is so much warmer than she could have ever anticipated. On an ordinary night, Jenny would be worried about the project she has due on Sunday and her debate team competition next week and every other responsibility looming around the corner. This was not an ordinary night, and Jenny is starting to figure out that no night has been ordinary since the day life introduced her to Lola Perez.

 

(To tell you the truth, Jenny Parker has never had many friends. But now she might have a girlfriend, and that’s one major improvement.)

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> And there it is! Did you like it? Absolutely hated it? Leave a kudos and a comment. <3
> 
> Find me on tumblr @ harryumas.


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